“A written test?!” Tea muttered dejectedly under her breath, seemingly losing all her initial confidence.
Similar scenes repeated themselves all through the lobby, as people who had gotten there by bashing monster skulls really hard, often with blunt weapons or - in James’ case - their own hands, realized they would have to use their own brain, for once, to solve the problem that presented itself before them.
“Now, now, I assure you it’s nothing beyond what you should have been taught by your Guild. Just some simple questions about the laws and limitations around being an Awakener.” Mr. Bethany said over the discontented murmur.
Tea shot a nervous glance towards James, who seemed to have calmed quickly once clarification had been given. His face was devoid of worry, and he simply gave a reassuring nod to his team. "Remember, Miss Walker prepared us for this.” He whispered, recalling the long, boring hours of bureaucratic lessons they had to sit through during their first month.
“Oh, I’m so glad I revised some of my notes last night.” Maria muttered to herself.
An examiner’s loud voice called out to them. "Teams, please proceed to Examination Room B on the lower floor for the written test!”
The two groups made their way through the lobby, heading towards the elevator. James took the lead, ensuring his team stuck together.
As they walked, they passed by many who were busy exchanging panicky whispers, some flipping hurriedly through pages of notes, others trying to quiz each other with last-minute questions. It was clear that most had underestimated the importance of this part of the examination.
“Go in.” One of the AA Agents said, gesturing to the open elevator and giving James a nod, evidently recognizing him.
The minute they spent in the enclosed space was spent in silence, as everyone tried their best to remember everything they could.
Finally, they were let out four floors below the ground level and into a single corridor with bright and bold signs telling them where to go.
Despite having been part of the AA for months, James had never been on this specific floor, so he gratefully followed the instructions until he reached an open door.
Upon entering Examination Room B, they were met with long tables neatly arranged in rows, each spot equipped with a paper, pencil, and a small clock to keep track of time. An overseer - whose powerfully burning aura showed she was at least a C-rank Awakener - stood at the front, her stern face scanning the room as everyone found their seats.
I probably could have gotten here by following the presences. But it’s better not to give out anything about my capabilities, just in case.
It’s not that he suspected Tea and her team of being there to spy on him precisely, but he wasn’t about to hand them information they didn’t need to have, especially since they were part of the infamous Ten Thousand Eyes Guild.
It took a few more minutes until four more teams entered the room and sat down. The moment the last man took his seat, the door closed with a bang, startling everyone.
“The specific instructions are on the first page of the test.” The examiner called out, eyes roving over everyone with enough intensity that they all understood no cheating would be allowed.
"This test will gauge your knowledge of the duties and responsibilities of an Awakener. This includes rules about dungeon behavior, what to do with loot, the importance and regulations around mana stones, and the limits of your authority in and around a dungeon. You will have one hour. Begin.”
James flipped over the test and started reading, relieved that nothing too weird was being asked.
The first question being “What is the proper procedure for handling mana stones after a dungeon run?” Made him relax even further. This was just the basics, and honestly, he shouldn’t have expected anything too difficult, considering that the test was supposed to be about the duties of a G-rank Awakener.
It’ll probably be much harder next time. The jump in power to E-rank means a lot more responsibilities.
Still, he concentrated and answered the questions as thoroughly as possible. He methodically worked through each one, recalling the lessons Miss Walker had arranged for them. They had covered everything from the correct procedure to handle mana stones – which were to be sold and not hoarded due to the inherent risk of creating mana distortions that could fool even delicate equipment and cause false alarms – to the jurisdictions and limitations of an Awakener's authority, such as whether they could arrest people around a dungeon.
A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.
Through his Thakinetic Awareness, James could feel several people become almost overwhelmed by the simple questions. Evidently, they had not dedicated enough time to the more boring parts of becoming an Awakener, and they were now paying the price.
Tea, who had been buzzing with worry since the beginning, now seemed to have calmed down and was rapidly writing on her test without a worry.
As the clock ticked on, a sense of urgency filled the room. Some participants - those from either minor Guilds or who were entirely independent - clearly struggled and kept glancing at their neighbors, hoping to catch a glimpse of their answers. The examiner was always there to give them a stern look, which made them hurriedly refocus on their own tests.
Team 0, however, had little trouble working through the whole thing, and James even felt the others start to relax towards the end.
The hour passed quickly, and the overseer's voice rang out again "Pencils down.”
A collective sigh of relief filled the room. Teams began to exit, discussing the questions and their answers animatedly. As James and his companions regrouped outside, Maria spoke up “It was easier than I expected, to be honest.”
Ezekiel grinned. "I think we did well. Who would've thought a test could be more nerve-wracking than fighting a monster?”
James chuckled. “Well, a monster you can punch. Paperwork, not so much.”
Another AA Agent ushered everyone to a side room, where two large tables were laden with refreshments and enough chairs for everyone were present.
“Wait here until the written exam’s results are announced; it should only take half an hour.” The sunglasses-wearing man said, before closing the door behind himself and leaving the young Awakeners alone.
“You looked so serious in there. I kind of liked it.” A familiar voice said from behind him, and James turned to see Tea. The purple-haired woman approached with a playful smile, hands held behind her back.
James raised an eyebrow, a smirk forming on his face. “Just trying to pass the test. It wasn’t as hard as I feared, but it’s always better to give it your all.”
She giggled, playfully nudging him with her shoulder. “I don’t mind some intensity.”
While the two kept bantering, the other members of the two teams chatted among themselves, enjoying some of the food that had been laid out for them and getting to know each other.
With Team 0’s meteoric rise, they had been kept isolated and had never met any other group of Awakeners that wasn’t outright hostile or much more powerful. It was quite refreshing to get to know someone who was in the same shoes, despite hailing from a private Guild.
Among all of them, the Ten Thousand Eyes is not the best but not the worst either. And these guys are too far down the ranks to have done anything seriously wrong in such a large organization.
After about half an hour of waiting and chatting, James felt the examiner return. She appeared with a list in her hand and started speaking without preamble. “The following teams have passed the written test.” She began, reading out the names.
As expected, both James’s and Tea's teams were among those called. Cheers erupted from the members, but the happiness was short-lived as another voice, filled with anger, interrupted the celebration.
“This is ridiculous! We’re here to fight monsters, not become lawyers!” A burly man, the leader of another team, yelled, his face red with anger.
The examiner looked unimpressed. “This is the procedure. If you are not satisfied, you are free to leave.”
The man’s team members tried to calm him down, but he pushed them away. “You’ll regret this! I will crush everyone here and show you I’m the only one who really has what it takes!”
The examiner sighed and waved her hand. Within moments, two AA agents appeared, grabbing him with enough strength to show the difference in rank, so the man could do nothing but complain as he was dragged away, his teammates dejectedly following.
Tea shook her head. “There is always someone who thinks all our job is, is killing monsters. If it was that easy, we’d just bomb every dungeon and be done with it.”
The AA examiner then cleared her throat, apparently unfazed. “Now, for those who passed, the next stage awaits. Follow me.”
James exchanged a look with Tea, and both teams followed the agent down a series of hallways until they reached a massive door with the emblem of the Awakeners Association engraved on it.
Opening the door revealed an expansive arena that looked as if it had been carved out of solid rock. In the center stood a large, menacing creature made entirely of stone, with gleaming red eyes and sharp, jagged edges. Beside it lay a life-sized dummy, mimicking a helpless victim.
“The objective is simple.” The woman began. “Rescue the dummy while fending off the stone golem. But be warned, defending the dummy without taking any damage yourself is not as easy as it might appear . Grading will be about performance, skills and the level of injury the dummy receives.”
The monster was not one he had ever fought before, and for a moment, James wondered if his fists would be enough to injure it, before he shook out of it. The mission wasn’t about defeating the golem. In fact, he doubted anyone would be able to do that.
This is about saving the dummy and, I suspect, seeing if we can understand when to retreat. If the golem is too strong to defeat, staying and putting the “civilian” at risk will likely take points away.
After everyone had gotten a good look at the arena, they were led to a separate room, where they could hear the grating sound of the golem shuffling around, but not see it.
It made sense, since seeing someone successfully ace the challenge would have led to everyone copying them, and this test was supposed to be about their adaptability.
Tea was the first to be called, and she gave her team a long look, which they reciprocated. James could feel through that alone just how close they were, as profound feelings were exchanged without the need to say anything.
The purple-haired woman turned to face him, gave him a wink, and sauntered off to meet the challenge with a sardonic smirk.
Almost immediately after the doors closed behind her, loud sounds of battle started filtering. The golem’s heavy stomping, what felt like small explosions in short bursts and even screeches of metal told of a hard-fought battle, but after a few long minutes, silence reigned again.
James shared a look with his teammates, all wondering exactly what had happened.
He had a somewhat clearer picture, having been able to follow Tea’s presence as she jumped around, but it was in no way enough to grasp everything.
The outgoing woman’s teammates were called next, one by one, and they all left with the same confidence that had filled her.
Going by their relatively happy minds after they were done, James could surmise that they felt like they had done enough to pass, but he decided not to waste too much time on it. His exam wouldn’t be influenced by how many others passed, and he would need to be in complete control if he wanted to do well.
“James Summers.” The examiner called passively two minutes after the last Ten Thousand Eyes team member was done.
James stood up and walked through the doors.